Derry Girls' Saoirse-Monica Jackson stars in new Netflix show wearing a 'Lord Farquaad' wig

From left to right, Zosia Mamet as Pampinea and Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Misia (Photo: Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix)placeholder image
From left to right, Zosia Mamet as Pampinea and Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Misia (Photo: Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix)

The Decameron is a historical dramady set in 1348, during the height of the Black Death, as it ravages Italy

Derry Girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson's new show has been released on Netflix. 

The Decameron is a historical dramedy set in 1348, during the height of the Black Death, as it ravages Italy. 

It is loosely based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s hefty 14th-century book of the same name. 

The premise sees a group of posh nobles and their servants arrive at a remote country villa for two weeks of indulgence while the plague does its worst outside the gates.

A star-studded cast has been assembled for the show, with Jackson accompanied by major stars Zosia Mamet from Girls, Tony Hale from Arrested Development and Veep, along with Tanya Reynolds from Sex Education.

Jackson’s character arrives sporting a hipster haircut, one she described to Netflix in an interview as ‘giving off Lord Farquaad vibes’ and fawning over her own virulently awful mistress, Pampinea.

Coming from the mind of Kathleen Jordan, it is a social satire of the 14th century book and inspired by the tone deaf and out-of-touch actions of celebrities during the Covid lockdown, with Gal Gadot’s ‘Imagine’ video as an example.

The show has been received positively overall by media outlets and is available on the streaming service Netflix starting July 25.

And in promotion of the show Jackson appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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